A Panorama of Jeivish Learning in Detrot
Symposium on Our Community s EducationalAims
A Rabbi's Nine-Point Outline on
the Needs of Jewish Education
By RABBI MORRIS ADLER into the tradition.
f) Recognition and implemen-
Cong. Shaarey Zedek
Jewish Education requires the tation of three primary goals of
the Jewish educational process,
following:
1) personal morality and
a) A congenial communal cli-
ethical sensitivity,
mate reflecting interest in and
2) devotion to the great
conferring status on Jewish
tradition and faith of
education.
the Jew,
b) A profession trained and
3) kinship with and be-
devoted, to whose practitioners
longingness t o t h e
recognition, tenure and eco-
Jewish people.
nomic security are extended.
g) A program of adult educa-
c) A content rich in spiritual-
cultural elements and capable tion geared to meeting the
of inspiring identification and needs of Jewish men and wo-
loyalty to Judaism and the Jew- men who respond to positive
sentiments about their Jewish-
ish people.
d) The concrete and visible ness but have no adequate ra-
expressions a n d embodiments tional and intellectual content
of the Jewish heritage in wor- to support these sentiments.
h) Special courses directed to
ship, ritual, practice, discipline
and daily duties, so that Jewish the women of the community
education is reflected in the with the stress not solely on
personal life and activities of communal activity and leader-
ship but on Jewish home-mak-
the student.
e) Synagogues to give their ing and character-building.
i) The stress on Jewish edu-
educational program the highest
priority, so that children as cation not as a means for
members of Jewish families, strengthening any organization
rather than as isolated indivi- or agency but for perpetuating,
duals, may be inducted in the interpreting and enlarging the
most effective and lasting way spirit and tradition of the Jew.
A Rabbi Asks a Question
* * *
Kasle Takes Stock The Problem of the Jewish Teacher
of UHS Activities Holds Key to Successful Education
By ABE KASLE
President. United Hebrew Schools
The Education Issue of The
Detroit Jewish News provides a
concrete way of observing Jew-
ish Education Month, by enabl-
ing us to pause and take stock
of our activities and accomplish-
ments in the 'field of education
in the past years, as well as
to plan for the future.
The word "education" is
great in riches for parents,
adults and children alike. Yet
it becomes meaningless when it
is not properly guided, step by
step, especially in our Jewish
schools in America.
In order for Jewish education
to survive, improve and to fur-
ther strengthen the educational
system, it requires trained per-
sonnel in the field of education,
namel y, direction, principals
and teachers who are amply
provided with a living wage, in
a pleasant environment, so that
they can give of their time,
By MOVSAS GOLDOFTAS
energy and patience to teach our
Director of the
Jewish youth:
Our Jewish community can United Jewish Folk Schools
claim and be proud of the
The Jewish News is doing a
steps in recent years that have great service to the community
been taken to work toward that by devoting a special edition of
goal. We can also be proud of the paper to the educational
The Issue of
Jewish Education
the full and complete bus sys-
tem to transport the children
from public schools to the
United Hebrew Schools' and
taught.
then back home.
Three particular ideals re-
We have helped to improve
ceive paramount emphasis in and to set a standard of a
our Religious School at Temple minimum of four years of edu-
Beth El. We try to teach our cation for Bar Mitzvah children,
children a concept of God. This as well as a standard for girls'
is a concept presented on the consecration. We have estab-
level of the child and growing lished a high school, which is
out of his own experiences with increasing yearly in enrollment,
the mysteries of the universe.
as well as a Midrasha for higher
The second purpose empha- learning and for training new
sized in our Religious School is teachers., With all that, we in
to develop within each child a the United Hebrew Schools feel
happy acceptance of his Jewish- that our goal is not yet reached.
ness as part of a harmoniously There is much to be done to
improve, strengthen and further
integrated personality.-
education.
Our third major purpose is
When we hear that in some
to give our children a signifi- of our new neighborhoods there
cant world concept that will en- are new groups and congrega-
able them to understand Jewish tions that are being organized
relationships with both the Jew- and that schedules – are being
ish and non-Jewish World.
adopted for Jewish education
We relate the child to both on a two or three day a week
the Jewish and the non-Jewish basis, without proper super-
world by teaching our people's vision or teaching staff, we
past and their quest for God, wonder whether this is being
by sharing in the experience of done merely to please the par-
Jewish living; by cultivating ents or whether these groups
positive attitudes of loyalty to are unaware of the fact that
Judaism through participating there is a strong educational
in Jewish holidays and festivals; system in the city of Detroit
by identifying ourselves with from whom they can receive
our brethren in other parts of help and guidance which we are
the world; by making the class= always ready and eager to give.
room situation a place for dem- If these practices are continued
ocratic living; by developing without proper guidance, they
healthy, warm-hearted attitudes may weaken instead of streng-
towards other people as people. then Jewish education.
Our Children—Will They Stay Ours?
By DR. RICHARD C. HERTZ
-
of Temple Beth El
Our Religious School has four
basic objectives to fullfill:
1) ,_To prepare the Jewish
child to live in his Jewish en-
vironment.
2) To prepare the Jewish
child for the implications of his
non-Jewish environment.
3) To enrich the character
and personality of the growing
Jewish child through example
and experience, and give him a
strong feeling of security and
dignity in being a Jew.
A) To perpetuate Jewish life
and the Jewish religion.
These four basic objectives
are more attitudes than facts.
Teaching Judaism means teach-
ing attitudes, cultivating loyal-
ties, creating experiences, illus-
trating ethics, applying princi-
ples, developing attachments.
Methods are myriad, but ideals
must be caught as well as
Asks School Unification
Under Hebrew Schools
By
RABBI YAAKOV I. HOMNICK
Young Israel of Oak-Woods
- It is generally agreed upon by
experts in Jewish education,
that the community school is
superior in many ways to the
congregational school. However,
it is in consonance with the
American way of life to encou-
rage individual growth and dis-
tinctiveness while maintaining
unity.
In this respect the United He-
brew Schools has acted admir-
ably, and with great foresight,
in servicing school systems that
are not identical with it in cur-
riculum and purpose.
An groups with– -individual
educational ideals should be
serviced administratively by the
United Hebrew Schools (in such
matters as transportation, staff
benefits and school plant stand-
ards), thereby a 1 1 o w i -n g all
groups to benefit from Jewish
Welfare Federation funds to
which all contribute.
But., more important, this
would maintain the position of
( the Welfare Federation, as the
unified Jewish Service Organi-
zation with the United Hebrew
Schools as the only educational
bureau in the city.
This policy would inevitably
lead to the administrative unifi-
cation of all Jewish education
in our community, with the re-
sulting prevention of waste.
By ALBERT ELAZAR
Supt., United Hebrew Schools
The decade sinee the close of
World War II has been one of
significant advancement in - the
level of interest in Jewish edu-
cation. This fact is borne out in
the greatly increased enroll-
ment in Hebrew schools through-
out the country.
Yet it is the very fact of in-
creased interest in Jewish educa-
tion that is now posing the
Jewish community with its
most serious educational prob-
lem — the lack of qualified
teachers for its schools.
As an indication of the ser-
ious nature of this problem,
the Jewish communities of
America have joined through
the American Association for
mon t h, expressing different
points of view on Jewish edu-
cation.
The United Jewish Folk
Schools, known as the-school of
the Labor Zionist movement, or
for long years as the Farband
Shulen, have on many occasions
expressed their philosophy and
view points in Jewish educa-
tion. This time we want to deal
with the problem of what is
the main issue in Jewish edu-
cation.
All educators and teachers
are aware of the fact that the
most important factor in Jewish
education is time. We do not
have enough time to give our
children the richness of our cul-
ture. Four or five hours a week
during a course of four or five
years is not sufficient to pre-
pare a child for Jewish life and
to digest a program of history,
tradition, Hebrew and Yiddish:
The policy of the United Jewish
Folk Schools w a s therefore
changed at the school confer-
ence last spring, and the goal
was set that quality must be
the main factor instead of quan-
tity.
The number of children in a
school is not most important,
rather it is what the child takes
with him after he graduates. It
is now the policy of the school
that the curriculum will be six
years instead of five, and that
each child gets two hours of
teaching a day.
JeWish Education to call a na-
tion-wide conference to meet
in Washington, D.C., Nov. 1-4,
to focus the attention of the
Jewish community on this
problem and attempt to find
some solution for it.
A big question to consider
is what kind of teacher does the
Jewish school need. Community
awareness of the type of teach-
er needed is the first step to-
ward the establishment of any
successful recruitment program.
The modernization of Jewish
education in line with the gen-
eral modernization of education
in America has changed the na-
ture of the teaching profession.
Whereas, before one teacher per
class was enough' to implement
the school program, today there
is specialization in the curricu-
lum.
Specially trained personnel
are needed for the basic units of
nursery, elementary, high school
and college grades. Aside from
these, the good Jewish school –
must have well-trained librar-
ians, music teachers, arts and
crafts- instructors, audio-visual
personnel and other special-
ists in various fields in Jewish
education. Specialists are also
needed for adult education with
its many phases.
-But even more than that, the
Jewish teacher must be steeped
in Jewish culture and life. He
must be as at home in Jewish
civilization as he is in American
civilization, otherwise he will
be unable to transmit the basics
of Jewish life to his pupils.
What can we do to fill such
a large order both qualitatively
and quantitatively? Better sal-
aries, opportunities for advance-
ment, opportunities for teachers
to be able to continue their
studies to further enrich their
classroom w o r k, fellowships
and sabbatical leaves for study
purposes would help implement
such programs.
An Old Mosaic Precept
A Child's Learning Stems from An Parents
adequate solution to this
By BERNARD ISAACS
Superintendent Emeritus of
the United Hebrew Schools
This year's theme for the ob-
servance of the National Edu-
cation Month is "The Teacher's
Place and Task in the American
Jewish Community." This is in-
deed a very timely theme.
There is, however, an addi-
tional partner, a silent one—
perhaps a bit too silent—in the
"business" of Jewish Education.
I refer to the parent, who is
completely unmindful of his du-
ties to his child, to the commu-
nity and to himself.
True, the parent has, because
of the establishment of the
State of Israel and also because
of the annihilation of 6,000,000
Jews, become conscious of the
need for Jewish education, but
just for his child, not for him-
self. It is his child who ought
to acquire some knowledge of
the Hebrew language and Jew-
ish history and ought to be ex-
posed to Jewish living, not the
parent.
Herein lies the crux of the
entire problem. The child, whose
parents have no .knowledge of
the subjects taught at the Jew-
ish school, feels that he is
"ordered" to do something no-
body cares for and nobody
needs. The teacher, therefore,
does not assume in his eyes that
importance which he sees in the
public school teacher who
teaches the subjects known and
looked upon with favor by his
parents. The child therefore
frequently asks, "What do I
need it for? My father does not
know any of this 'stuff."
This negative and sometimes
hostile attitude of the child to
the Jewish school has its effect
upon his own parents. They
frequently ask, "Why is my
child enthusiastic about public
school and so antagonistic to the
Hebrew school?"
problem was given by the
Teacher of . Teachers, Moses.
When the time came for Moses
to give the children of Israel
the Torah, he issued a call, not
to the children, but to the
adults, the parents, to come to
Sinai and receive their first les-
son in Judaism:
Moses knew that When the
father will return home, he will
impart his knowledge to the
members of his family. He will
create a climate of learning.
The child will naturally become
inquisitive, he will ask questions
and learning will follow.
If we want our children to
be really interested in their
Jewish studies, let us follow the
example set by Moses. Let us
create a suitable Jewish cli-
mate-at home. This process will
undoubtedly raise the status of
the Jewish teacher and give him-
his rightful place in the com-
munity.
Schools Must Meet
Demanding Tasks
By BERNARD PANUSH
Beth Aaron Religious School
The past decade has witnessed
a remarkable growth in the
number of synagogues in De-
troit and the expansion of the
older congregations. Each one
of these religious centers main-
tains its own religious school.
The number of pupils is now
over 6,000. Today, the congre-
gational school occupies a prom-
inent and permanent place in
the field -of Jewish education.
This development has im-
posed a responsibility upon the
congregations, its rabbis and
school directors to maintain
high educational standards.
Our religious schools, in order
to meet the -task imposed upon
them, must incorporate the fol-
lowing:
1. To develop and enhance
the child's spiritual and ethical
sensitivity so that in act and
attitude he will be governed by
the religious, ethical and cul-
tural traditions of Judaism.
Z. To impart a knowledge of
Jewish history, literattile and
culture necessary for a rich and
intelligent Jewish life.
3. To develop in the child the
desire and ability to practice
Judaism both in the Synagogue
and at-home.
4. To impart a knowledge of
the Hebrew language which is
the language of the Bible and
of renascent Israel.
5. To develop a desire to par-
ticipate in Jewish community af-
fairs and a knowledge of same.
6. To develop the desire to
continue post graduate and post
Confirmation studies in order to
develop future leadership.
Additional Jewish Education
Statements on Page 2 and 5